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Vancouver Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
NHL Draft: What to know about the Canucks and the 15th overall pick
The NHL draft is a week away. Most people expect the Vancouver Canucks will trade their first-round pick away in an effort to add a player who can help the roster right now, as opposed to drafting a player who will need a couple of years to even make it to the NHL, let alone be impactful. Two years, after all, is Quinn Hughes ' current timeline. If Hughes is not going to stay beyond two years, the Canucks really only have this coming season to focus on — it would be the last kick at the can for this era of Canucks, such as they are. It's already a near-certainty that Brock Boeser will be on a new team next season, meaning that his goals will need replacing even if management wants to find a player who plays the game in a different way. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. And Friday's news that the Canucks called up Pius Suter 's agent this week — as reported by CHEK-TV's Rick Dhaliwal — tells us that the Canucks are feeling anxious about the forwards market in general. Matt Duchene signed a contract extension with Dallas this week. He would have been an unrestricted free agent this summer and the Canucks are believed to have had him on their list of targets. President of hockey operations Jim Rutherford has spoken openly over the past two months that the route to rejuvenating the team's forward group likely lies in a trade, rather than a bevy of free agents. And as the off-season has evolved, it has become clear that the Canucks will most likely have to flip their first-round pick in a trade to bring in the kind of top-six forward they covet. With all this in mind, let's take a look at where the Canucks sit with their first-round pick (15th overall) a week out from the draft. The Canucks' prospect pool isn't overflowing, but it's not awful. They've got Tom Willander, Elias Pettersson and Jonathan Lekkerimäki at the top of the heap, plus guys like Aatu Räty, Arshdeep Bains , Linus Karlsson, Max Sasson, Victor Mancini and Kirill Kudryavtsev in the second tier. Of the former three, only Elias Pettersson is believed to be untouchable, although the Canucks likely won't move Willander, given his solid growth since his draft and the fact he's a right-hand shot, a prized thing for a defenceman. Lekkerimäki scored two impressive goals on Thursday in game four of the Calder Cup final, but those were just his second and third goals in the playoffs to date, hardly an impressive run for a player the Canucks had hoped would be able to quickly add to the lineup and perhaps be a long-term replacement for Boeser. He's also not big, not strong, and not especially quick. His finishing talents are notable, but he needs to grow his overall game to be an impactful NHLer. Pettersson, the defenceman, looks set to move from prospect to NHL regular this coming season. That's how much he impressed everyone with his play in the NHL this past season. The Canucks are hopeful Mancini can grow his game beyond being just a 'very strong guy' while Kudryavtsev has improved greatly as a pro. Now the question is can he do all the smart things he does in the AHL at an NHL pace? Both Bains and Karlsson have a chance to be hard-working grinders who play the game with smarts Both have shown glimpses of this in the NHL but need to be consistent contributors down the lineup, night in and night out. Sasson has good feet and understands the game well. To hang as a fourth-line centre he needs to find ways to get the puck up the ice more. Conversely, can Räty improve his skating enough to become the dependable third-line centre he showed glimpses of in his late-season cameo in the NHL this spring? All this is to say that the Canucks can use talent everywhere. They need forwards who can change the game. They need defencemen who can play with smarts as well as with bite. They have a decent crop of players who will pan out as mid-roster players, but they're lacking in true high-end upside. The Canucks didn't send a big staff to the NHL combine in Buffalo earlier this month, a sign many took to mean that they aren't all that interested in picking at 15th overall. Reportedly the main player they spent much time with was Seattle Thunderbirds centre Braeden Cootes, who they took out for dinner. 'I think they just liked the way I have that hard skill, a lot of people call it. I can skate well, I compete really hard. That was pretty much it, they'll be honest he didn't talk too much about hockey, it was a lot of just getting to know each other, stuff away from the rink,' Cootes told CHEK-TV's Donnie and Dhali Show about what Todd Harvey, the Canucks' scouting director, told him about what they liked about the centre's play. We asked an NHL scout, we'll call him 'Anonymous Scout No. 1', about Cootes' value at 15th. 'Fifteen isn't a bad spot,' he said. 'No great targets, but also not many awful options there.' 'If their guy really is Braeden Cootes, that's fine. He has absolutely sick skill and an elite release, but he plays like a grinder so it barely ever pops. Creativity and processing are issues so I think he tops out as a mid-six guy,' he added. A second scout, who we'll call Anonymous Scout No. 2, said the Canucks should keep their eyes on what happens with Victor Eklund. Elite Prospects thinks he has a chance to be the next Seth Jarvis — and EP rates Jarvis as the next Brad Marchand. What team wouldn't want a player like that? And yet, Scout No. 2 notes, there's a decent chance he slides to 15. There are some quality defencemen and centres in the mix with him, and teams tend to downgrade wingers. 'He'll slide, but likely not that far,' Scout No. 2 said. But you never know. '15 is hard to peg as it's more about the mistakes made ahead of them,' he added. If Eklund is gone by the Canucks' time to pick, Scout No.2 thinks they should look to draft giant centre Roger McQueen who also has huge upside to his sill set. We also have Anonymous Scout No. 3, who says of Cootes: 'Cootes is a great junior, but is he better than Krebs, Newhook, Jost, Steel?' All those centremen have underwhelmed as pros. He believes the Canucks' scouts' preference will be for defenceman Kashawn Aitcheson. 'Aitcheson will be advertised as Bieksa,' he went on. 'Certainly has the bite, but not the brain or skill. Forget the goals. Used as a shooter in power play in OHL, but will never see that opportunity as a pro. His most translatable attributes are his B Game. Physicality, and he backs it up.' Elite Prospects' Cam Robinson concurs with Anonymous Scout No. 1's assessment. It's Robinson who asked around and determined that of the top 20 or so prospects, Cootes was the one the Canucks took out for dinner. The 15th overall pick is in an interesting spot — and if the Canucks are set to trade it, they would be wise to wait as long as possible to move it. 'It's really hard to forecast (who will be available at 15) since the 8 to 14 slots are going to be a complete jumble,' Robinson explained. As the picture evolves on who will be available at 15th overall, so will how other teams value that pick, including the teams the Canucks will be talking trade with. Teams who are interested in 15 today may value it less as the moment of selection approaches and vice versa — teams may become more interested in 15 because a player they covet remains available. 'Which is why they should wait as along as possible if they do plan on moving it,' Robinson concurred. Then a word of caution: 'But there are so many picks available in the 14 to 25 range. Everyone is open to moving them.' In other words, this isn't an easy scenario to navigate. What is clear is that if the field settles in the Canucks' favour, they should be able to grab an interesting player at 15. And if a player like Eklund or McQueen is still there, they will surely have a few suitors banging on their door about a trade. Simply put, it's a main point to watch for both aspects: if they deal their pick, that will improve the roster, but it will leave the prospect pool rather stagnant. And if management can't re-set this roster in a way that will inspire Hughes to stay beyond 2027, then they're looking down the barrel of a rebuild. And to make a rebuild work you need NHL-ready prospects, and you need them fast. pjohnston@
Edmonton Journal
a day ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
NHL Draft: What to know about the Canucks and the 15th overall pick
Article content The NHL draft is a week away. Most people expect the Vancouver Canucks will trade their first-round pick away in an effort to add a player who can help the roster right now, as opposed to drafting a player who will need a couple of years to even make it to the NHL, let alone be impactful. Two years, after all, is Quinn Hughes ' current timeline. Article content If Hughes is not going to stay beyond two years, the Canucks really only have this coming season to focus on — it would be the last kick at the can for this era of Canucks, such as they are. Article content It's already a near-certainty that Brock Boeser will be on a new team next season, meaning that his goals will need replacing even if management wants to find a player who plays the game in a different way. And Friday's news that the Canucks called up Pius Suter 's agent this week — as reported by CHEK-TV's Rick Dhaliwal — tells us that the Canucks are feeling anxious about the forwards market in general. Matt Duchene signed a contract extension with Dallas this week. He would have been an unrestricted free agent this summer and the Canucks are believed to have had him on their list of targets. President of hockey operations Jim Rutherford has spoken openly over the past two months that the route to rejuvenating the team's forward group likely lies in a trade, rather than a bevy of free agents. And as the off-season has evolved, it has become clear that the Canucks will most likely have to flip their first-round pick in a trade to bring in the kind of top-six forward they covet. Article content With all this in mind, let's take a look at where the Canucks sit with their first-round pick (15th overall) a week out from the draft. What they need The Canucks' prospect pool isn't overflowing, but it's not awful. They've got Tom Willander, Elias Pettersson and Jonathan Lekkerimäki at the top of the heap, plus guys like Aatu Räty, Arshdeep Bains, Linus Karlsson, Max Sasson, Victor Mancini and Kirill Kudryavtsev in the second tier. Of the former three, only Elias Pettersson is believed to be untouchable, although the Canucks likely won't move Willander, given his solid growth since his draft and the fact he's a right-hand shot, a prized thing for a defenceman. Lekkerimäki scored two impressive goals on Thursday in game four of the Calder Cup final, but those were just his second and third goals in the playoffs to date, hardly an impressive run for a player the Canucks had hoped would be able to quickly add to the lineup and perhaps be a long-term replacement for Boeser. He's also not big, not strong, and not especially quick. His finishing talents are notable, but he needs to grow his overall game to be an impactful NHLer. Article content Pettersson, the defenceman, looks set to move from prospect to NHL regular this coming season. That's how much he impressed everyone with his play in the NHL this past season. The Canucks are hopeful Mancini can grow his game beyond being just a 'very strong guy' while Kudryavtsev has improved greatly as a pro. Now the question is can he do all the smart things he does in the AHL at an NHL pace? Both Bains and Karlsson have a chance to be hard-working grinders who play the game with smarts Both have shown glimpses of this in the NHL but need to be consistent contributors down the lineup, night in and night out. Sasson has good feet and understands the game well. To hang as a fourth-line centre he needs to find ways to get the puck up the ice more. Conversely, can Räty improve his skating enough to become the dependable third-line centre he showed glimpses of in his late-season cameo in the NHL this spring? Article content All this is to say that the Canucks can use talent everywhere. They need forwards who can change the game. They need defencemen who can play with smarts as well as with bite. They have a decent crop of players who will pan out as mid-roster players, but they're lacking in true high-end upside. Who's likely available at 15? The Canucks didn't send a big staff to the NHL combine in Buffalo earlier this month, a sign many took to mean that they aren't all that interested in picking at 15th overall. Reportedly the main player they spent much time with was Seattle Thunderbirds centre Braeden Cootes, who they took out for dinner. 'I think they just liked the way I have that hard skill, a lot of people call it. I can skate well, I compete really hard. That was pretty much it, they'll be honest he didn't talk too much about hockey, it was a lot of just getting to know each other, stuff away from the rink,' Cootes told CHEK-TV's Donnie and Dhali Show about what Todd Harvey, the Canucks' scouting director, told him about what they liked about the centre's play. Article content We asked an NHL scout, we'll call him 'Anonymous Scout No. 1', about Cootes' value at 15th. 'Fifteen isn't a bad spot,' he said. 'No great targets, but also not many awful options there.' 'If their guy really is Braeden Cootes, that's fine. He has absolutely sick skill and an elite release, but he plays like a grinder so it barely ever pops. Creativity and processing are issues so I think he tops out as a mid-six guy,' he added. A second scout, who we'll call Anonymous Scout No. 2, said the Canucks should keep their eyes on what happens with Victor Eklund. Elite Prospects thinks he has a chance to be the next Seth Jarvis — and EP rates Jarvis as the next Brad Marchand. What team wouldn't want a player like that? And yet, Scout No. 2 notes, there's a decent chance he slides to 15. There are some quality defencemen and centres in the mix with him, and teams tend to downgrade wingers. Article content 'He'll slide, but likely not that far,' Scout No. 2 said. But you never know. '15 is hard to peg as it's more about the mistakes made ahead of them,' he added. If Eklund is gone by the Canucks' time to pick, Scout No.2 thinks they should look to draft giant centre Roger McQueen who also has huge upside to his sill set. We also have Anonymous Scout No. 3, who says of Cootes: 'Cootes is a great junior, but is he better than Krebs, Newhook, Jost, Steel?' All those centremen have underwhelmed as pros. He believes the Canucks' scouts' preference will be for defenceman Kashawn Aitcheson. 'Aitcheson will be advertised as Bieksa,' he went on. 'Certainly has the bite, but not the brain or skill. Forget the goals. Used as a shooter in power play in OHL, but will never see that opportunity as a pro. His most translatable attributes are his B Game. Physicality, and he backs it up.' Article content What they may actually do with it Elite Prospects' Cam Robinson concurs with Anonymous Scout No. 1's assessment. It's Robinson who asked around and determined that of the top 20 or so prospects, Cootes was the one the Canucks took out for dinner. The 15th overall pick is in an interesting spot — and if the Canucks are set to trade it, they would be wise to wait as long as possible to move it. 'It's really hard to forecast (who will be available at 15) since the 8 to 14 slots are going to be a complete jumble,' Robinson explained. As the picture evolves on who will be available at 15th overall, so will how other teams value that pick, including the teams the Canucks will be talking trade with. Teams who are interested in 15 today may value it less as the moment of selection approaches and vice versa — teams may become more interested in 15 because a player they covet remains available. Article content Latest National Stories
National Post
a day ago
- Sport
- National Post
NHL Draft: What to know about the Canucks and the 15th overall pick
The NHL draft is a week away. Most people expect the Vancouver Canucks will trade their first-round pick away in an effort to add a player who can help the roster right now, as opposed to drafting a player who will need a couple of years to even make it to the NHL, let alone be impactful. Article content Two years, after all, is Quinn Hughes ' current timeline. Article content Article content If Hughes is not going to stay beyond two years, the Canucks really only have this coming season to focus on — it would be the last kick at the can for this era of Canucks, such as they are. Article content It's already a near-certainty that Brock Boeser will be on a new team next season, meaning that his goals will need replacing even if management wants to find a player who plays the game in a different way. Article content And Friday's news that the Canucks called up Pius Suter 's agent this week — as reported by CHEK-TV's Rick Dhaliwal — tells us that the Canucks are feeling anxious about the forwards market in general. Matt Duchene signed a contract extension with Dallas this week. He would have been an unrestricted free agent this summer and the Canucks are believed to have had him on their list of targets. Article content President of hockey operations Jim Rutherford has spoken openly over the past two months that the route to rejuvenating the team's forward group likely lies in a trade, rather than a bevy of free agents. Article content And as the off-season has evolved, it has become clear that the Canucks will most likely have to flip their first-round pick in a trade to bring in the kind of top-six forward they covet. Article content Article content With all this in mind, let's take a look at where the Canucks sit with their first-round pick (15th overall) a week out from the draft. Article content Article content They've got Tom Willander, Elias Pettersson and Jonathan Lekkerimäki at the top of the heap, plus guys like Aatu Räty, Arshdeep Bains, Linus Karlsson, Max Sasson, Victor Mancini and Kirill Kudryavtsev in the second tier. Article content Of the former three, only Elias Pettersson is believed to be untouchable, although the Canucks likely won't move Willander, given his solid growth since his draft and the fact he's a right-hand shot, a prized thing for a defenceman. Article content Lekkerimäki scored two impressive goals on Thursday in game four of the Calder Cup final, but those were just his second and third goals in the playoffs to date, hardly an impressive run for a player the Canucks had hoped would be able to quickly add to the lineup and perhaps be a long-term replacement for Boeser. He's also not big, not strong, and not especially quick. His finishing talents are notable, but he needs to grow his overall game to be an impactful NHLer.
Reuters
6 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Matthews headlines US team as NHL stars return to Olympics
NEW YORK, June 16 (Reuters) - Auston Matthews will lead the American charge at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games next year, as USA Hockey named the first six players to their roster on Monday with NHL stars able to compete on the Olympic stage for the first time since 2014. Players from the top-flight North American league were expected to compete at the 2022 Beijing Games but NHL executives elected not to send players weeks before the Olympics began due to schedule disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Hockey League said it would release its talent this time around, clearing the way for the sport's biggest stars to take the Olympic stage. Matthews, the most prolific scorer in the league since joining in 2016, will ditch his Toronto Maple Leafs blue for the stars and stripes, while Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk will play alongside brother Matthew Tkachuk, whose Florida Panthers are one win away from a second straight Stanley Cup. The Vancouver Canucks captain and ruthless defenceman Quinn Hughes was also named to the U.S. first six, along with the Boston Bruins' Charlie McAvoy and the Vegas Golden Knights' Jack Eichel. "We've seen the unprecedented success of our U.S. teams on the international stage this past season and we need to keep our foot on the gas," the U.S. Olympic men's team general manager Bill Guerin said in a statement. "The players we've named today represent excellence. They're committed to the mission in front of us and excited about the opportunity to represent our country in the Olympics." The United States is set to name the rest of the team in early January for the Olympic ice hockey tournament that begins on February 11 in Milan.
CBS News
6 days ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Charlie McAvoy named to Team USA roster, one of three Bruins set to participate in 2026 Winter Olympics
Charlie McAvoy has always dreamed about playing in the Olympics. The Bruins defenseman will get his wish in 2026. On Monday, McAvoy was one of the "first six" players named to the preliminary Team USA roster for the Milano Cortina games. He'll make up the top defensive pairing with Vancouver's Quinn Hughes, while Vegas' Jack Eichel (who like McAvoy is also a Boston University alum), Toronto's Austin Matthews, Florida's Matthew Tkachuk, and Ottawa's Brady Tkachuk round out the initial roster. While this will be the first time McAvoy skates in the Olympics, he is no stranger to the international stage. He served as an alternate captain for Team USA at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, though it ended up being a nightmare for McAvoy after he had to deal with an infection following a "significant" shoulder injury during the tournament. It derailed his 2024-25 season with Boston and limited him to just 50 games, but McAvoy remained eager to represent his country in the future. The 27-year-old Boston blue liner was also on the United States roster for two International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships in 2017 and 2018. McAvoy helped the Stars and Stripes win a bronze medal in 2018 when he tallied nine points over six games. He also competed in the IIHF World Junior Championships in 2016 and 2017, where he won bronze and gold medals, respectively. He earned gold medals for Team USA at the 2014 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and the 2015 IIHF Under-18 World Championship as well. Team USA's local connections to Massachusetts aren't limited to the players on the ice. Marshfield native and former Bruins head coach Mike Sullivan (now head coach of the New York Rangers) will lead the way on the bench. He's also McAvoy's father-in-law, which should make for some interesting locker room chats between the two. Team USA general manager Bill Guerin is a Wilbraham native who played two seasons for the Bruins during his NHL career. He is currently the general manager and president of hockey operations for the Minnesota Wild. Pastrnak, Zacha named to 2026 Olympic roster McAvoy won't be the only Bruins player heading to the Olympics in February. David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha were both named to the Czechia roster on Monday. Pastrnak is coming off a 43-goal, 63-assist season for Boston, when he finished tied for the third-most points in the NHL with 106. He is currently third all-time among Czech-born NHL players in goals (391) and points (833) and leads all active Czech skaters in goals, assists (442) and points. Pastrnak has represented his home nation in six IIHF World Championships (2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2024, 2025), and took home gold in 2024 and bronze in 2022. In the 2025 tournament, Pastrnak led all players in scoring with 15 points over eight games. Zacha had 14 goals and 33 assists for Boston in 2024-25, when he appeared in all 82 games for the Bruins. He also won gold with Team Czechia at the 2024 IIHF World Championship.
